Coutinho looks likely to stay until the end of the season, when Klopp will then look at making sure his lethal attack does lose its edge without his Brazil star.

The ex-Inter Milan midfielder will get a £20million-a-year deal with Barca, which they agreed in the summer before being told to stop tapping up.

Liverpool’s email exchanges with the Spanish giants were released by Football Leaks and show three failed bids.

Kop bosses stuck by their stance of refusing to sell the 25-year-old despite him slapping in a transfer request himself.

But last week Klopp was offering no such assurances over Coutinho staying at the club, even if the club have no need to sell to balance the books following the arrival of Virgil van Dijk for £75million.

Along with the £385,000-a-week wages, Coutinho’s agent was due to receive £9million if a transfer fee of £88.5million was not exceeded for the transfer.

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